


Let the Rain Wash Away

by jg291



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-17 13:39:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2311589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jg291/pseuds/jg291
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frankie and Zach have a falling out on finale night. Things come to a head when they're both back for BB17.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The house looks different this year. It’s clearly beach themed, the Fire Room having been turned into the Sunset Room and the Rock Room filled with nautical gear. It’s weird having time to explore the décor right upon entering the house – last year, at this time, he had already bonded with Joey about their brightly colored hair, and found himself quite impressed with Cody’s looks (yeah, that first impression surely did him good). But then again, last year, he wasn’t told to enter the house by himself.

 

Frankie was the first, and only, houseguest to appear in the studio for his launch. To his surprise, Julie told him that this year, the houseguests would enter one at a time, thirty minutes apart. It was the first total all-star season in ten years, and Production wanted all the returning houseguests to have in-depth interviews with Julie before going in.

 

Frankie assumes there will be one houseguest from each season, considering there had been sixteen prior seasons and sixteen contestants the last few years. That would also explain why Frankie was entering first, if they were counting backwards. He was a little surprised when he got the call to return. He would have put money on Donny being the one they wanted back most, but maybe the backstabbing got to him and he didn’t want to do this two summers in a row.

 

In case you’re wondering, Frankie knows he’s lying to himself. Donny wouldn’t be the one they called back from his season. Donny didn’t win AFP.

 

Frankie doesn’t think about Zach, not anymore.

 

***

 

It all went wrong on finale night. Frankie somehow made it to the final three with Caleb and Victoria. Caleb, master of the late season endurance competition, ended up winning the final HOH. For days, Frankie thought Caleb would take him to the final two. Caleb repeatedly told Frankie how much he hated Victoria, and he thought they bonded in hour 9 of that final leg of the endurance competition, right before Frankie fell off the post. And yet, with all of America watching, Caleb voted to evict Frankie.

 

Frankie, to put it mildly, was pissed. Placing third was probably the worst position he could be in. He didn’t win any money. He didn’t get any exposure in post-eviction interviews, because all the main outlets wanted to talk to Caleb, winner of BB16 by a vote of 8-1 (yes, Frankie was bitter enough to vote for Victoria). Frankie was left with the third rate sites that only the most diehard fans even bothered to watch.

 

But worst of all is that if Frankie wasn’t going to win anything, he should have at least gotten some time in the jury house with Zach. He knew he made a grievous error as soon as Zach wasn’t around. He was heartbroken in a way he had never felt before, even after his last boyfriend cheated on him. Frankie knew he fucked up, and maybe that’s why it felt so awful.

 

So, yes, Frankie was looking forward to reconciling with Zach in the jury house. He kept sane by remembering the things Zach told him that last week, before he screwed everything up. How Zach loved him and was fully ready to have a conversation once the cameras weren’t around. How something might finally happen between the two of them.

 

But then, Caleb gets him out. He doesn’t have any time to talk to Zach before the jury gets immediately thrown back out into the studio for final jury questions, which was, frankly, a waste of time. Obviously Caleb wasn’t going to lose to Victoria. Frankie gets a quick hug with Zach (and neck kiss, but we don’t think about that) in before he gets forced to sit in his seat furthest from the right, too far away from Zach.

 

As the final questioning is happening, Frankie finds himself getting more and more pissed. A whole week with just Victoria and Caleb around hadn’t done much for his sanity, and hearing them talk about why they deserved to win the money sickened him. He faked smiles for the cameras, like he had been doing more and more and more lately.

 

He’s not thinking at the wrap party. He gets swept up by Ariana as most of the houseguests try to warm up to her – Caleb is a particularly bad offender on that account. Frankie spends most of his time looking out for Zach, but Zach has wandered off to be with Peyton, who wasn’t allowed near the bar area. Frankie’s frustrated that he has to deal with everyone when all he wants to do is find Zach, and without thinking, he grabs a glass of wine from a server walking around. He’s so distracted he forgets that he’s been sober for more than 100 days.

 

Suffice to say, the night does not end well.

 

***

After hours (and a few glasses of wine) pass, Frankie finally himself near Zach. Zach appears to be talking to Frankie’s mom, so Frankie figures he can talk his mom out of the picture. He runs up to Zach and hugs him from behind, and kisses his neck in the usual way. Frankie quickly detaches himself from Zach, hugs his mom, and ask her to leave.

 

Frankie then hugs Zach straight on for probably an hour. (It was fifteen seconds, but Frankie doesn’t know the difference).

 

“I missssed you,” Frankie breathes into Zach’s ear.

 

“I missed you, too, Frankie,” Zach returns with his trademark giggle. Frankie so did not expect Zach to be a giggler when he first met him.

 

“Want to get out of here?” Frankie asks, trying to be seductive. He thinks it’s working. If they were at a bar, Zach would totally leave with him.

 

“Frankie, I think I need to keep making the rounds a little bit. It’s been way too long, bro, I wanted you to win, but I hated that you couldn’t celebrate my birthday with me. Trust me, we need to catch up. There’s kind of something I want to talk about…” Zach trails off awkwardly, like he is a little afraid to continue. “But now, everyone wants to know how America’s Favorite Player is going to spend that money. I keep telling them right now that I’m only thinking about our trip to Germany.”

 

“Our?”

 

“Of course, babe. Who else did you think I would take? I mean, my mom wouldn’t let me take Peyton because he’s too young, but other than that, of course I want to take you. People won’t recognize us in Germany. Think about all the things we can do.”

 

Frankie’s head is spinning. Zach wants to take him to Germany? He’s thinking about the things they can do when people won’t recognize them? He wants to talk about something? Frankie knows what this means. He’s so excited.

 

He kisses Zach straight on the lips. It’s the best kiss he’s ever had for a few seconds. Zach’s lips melt into his. He gets his hands on Zach’s back and holds him close. He’s never letting go.

 

But then, Zach’s pulling away. Violently. Like he didn’t want that? But he was just saying that he was ready to be with Frankie. There are no cameras at this party! Frankie is confused.

 

“Frankie, what the fuck was that?” Zach says quietly but forcefully, like he doesn’t want anyone to notice him. Unfortunately, it seems like half the party has now turned in their direction.

 

“I kissed you. Duhhh. You just told me you were taking me to Germany, and we were going to talk about our relationship later, and you wanted me.”

 

“I never said I wanted you, Frankie.”

 

“But you do, right? You totally want me.”

 

Frankie realizes that this conversation isn’t going well after Zach pulls him into a corner. He probably shouldn’t have had that wine.

 

Zach is seething, Frankie realizes. “Yes, Frankie, I want to take you to Germany. I wanted to, anyway. I wanted to talk about us later, when we got upstairs, when there was no one around. When we could just be us and not have everyone make a big deal of it. And you just kissed me in front of everyone.”

 

Frankie still doesn’t see what the problem is. Zach wants him. He wants Zach. He wants everyone to know that he and Zach are going to be a thing, because they totally are. He tries communicating this to Zach, but Zach is too mad. Eventually, Ariana shows up. She politely introduces herself to Zach and pulls Frankie away. She takes him upstairs to her suite. He doesn’t know what happens to Zach. He falls asleep pretty quickly after that.

 

***

 

He and Zach do not become a thing. The Rances change plans and fly back to Florida the next day. Zach takes his dad to Germany. They have their layover on the way back in DC, not New York, and Zach doesn’t try to extend the layover or even let Frankie know when he’d be there. (It’s only a four hour train ride.) He won’t take Frankie’s calls or answer his texts.

 

Frankie knows he fucked up. He knew all Zach wanted was privacy and he took that away from him. Zach seemed ready to confront his sexuality, but only on his own terms. Frankie took that away from him.

 

He tries to cut Zach out of his thoughts, and it kind of works. He gets back into his pattern of clubs and one night stands with guys that are bad for him. He ignores on Facebook that Zach appears to be seeing a girl named Alex. He’s actually good about not looking at Zach’s pictures, because he doesn’t need to see the beautiful girl Zach replaced him with. Eventually, he unfriends Zach. It’s better for everyone.

 

One night, though, he gets home late, and he struck out and he’s alone and not thinking, so he goes on Zach’s page.

 

Alex is a guy.

 

***

 

Frankie thinks that getting back into Big Brother is a good idea. Cut off from the outside world, he’ll have to stop his bad habits again. No alcohol, perfect. No random hookups, perfect. They’re not going to put two gay guys in the house this year.

 

Just like they didn’t last year, until they did.

 

After about 28 minutes, Frankie’s getting anxious. He hopes it’s McCrae, who seemed cool. He thinks it’ll be Elissa, because she was just too popular. He’d even be happy if it was Amanda. At least he wouldn’t be the primary target of the villain edit if she were to walk in.

 

So when the doorbell rings, of course it’s Zach on the other side, brand new pink hat perched beautifully on the top of his head.

 

Frankie hasn’t had a drink in twenty days, but it’s been nine months since he last had a glimpse of his last addiction.

 

He’s so fucked, he thinks, until Zach looks up at him with a sheepish grin, and maybe, a smile in his eyes?

 

Immediately, Frankie feels himself pulled back in. Zach has a boyfriend now. (A  _boy_ friend.) Zach didn’t want to speak to him all year, and now he’s smiling, and Frankie is immediately hopelessly in love again.

 

He’s so fucked.  


	2. Chapter 2

When Zach gets the call from Big Brother, he only has one question. “Will Frankie be back?”  
  
Steve from Production kind of laughs on the other end. “Zach, you know I can’t tell you who the other houseguests will be… but I liked you last summer, so let me answer your question with a question – what was the most popular storyline last season?”  
  
#TeamZankie, obviously. From the reaction he got after the house, it seemed like it was the only popular storyline. He knows his answer.  
  
“Yeah, I’m in.”  
  
***  
  
Zach was pissed when Frankie kissed him at the wrap party. The kiss, though, was perfect. It was definitely the best kiss he ever had, no doubt about it. But eventually he remembered he wasn’t alone with Frankie yet, he was still in public. When he glanced up, he noticed so many people staring at him. He noticed his mom staring at him. He noticed Peyton staring at him. He didn’t understand what Frankie had just done. All summer, Frankie respected Zach’s privacy - well, almost. Frankie was insistent at times that they’d have sex in the jury house (Zach kind of couldn’t wait, though, but don’t let Frankie know that) – and now he just kissed him in front of everyone Zach cared about?  
  
See, Zach had a plan. Once Derrick walked into the jury house after having been eliminated from the top four, Zach knew he wouldn’t be able to meet up with Frankie there. They would have to have their reunion after the finale, and Zach wanted to be ready.  
  
The time Zach spent in the jury house confirmed his feelings for Frankie. He wasn’t sad, per se, to be apart from him, but he just wasn’t as happy, either. Frankie was a light that brightened up his day. Zach had never derived so much happiness from another person, and he was pretty sure what it meant.  
  
When Donny walked in the jury house a week later and described how Frankie had been acting, Zach was kind of elated. Frankie had never been so languid when Zach had been in the house, and Donny suggested that Frankie’s change in behavior seemed to be a direct result of missing Zach.  
  
Was it possible Frankie felt the same way Zach did? Zach thinks, maybe he does. He knew Frankie was attracted to him, the same way Zach was finally willing to admit he was attracted to Frankie. He knew Frankie loved him, but wasn’t sure how much of that had been strategy and how much of that had been real. But Frankie sleeping all day with Zach’s pillow couldn’t have helped his game at all, so Zach chose to think Frankie’s feelings were sincere.  
  
So, shortly after arriving in the jury house, Zach would tell Frankie how he felt.  
  
But then Frankie never came, so Zach prepared. After Frankie won the $500,000 (Zach cared for Frankie so much he couldn’t even entertain the possibility that Frankie wouldn’t win out of this final three), Zach would act normal around him during the show and at the after party. He would deflect the questions Julie asked him about their relationship (if he got any, because Frankie, the winner, would probably get most of the attention) and tell Frankie they could talk about it when they got upstairs.  
  
Zach knew he had a hotel room to his own, and he intended to use it. When they were alone, Zach would have the conversation he promised Frankie, and he thinks Frankie will enjoy what he wants to tell him. That he’s not sure how public he can be right now, but what he wants is Frankie, in every possible way. He wants to kiss him, he wants to fuck him, he wants to hold hands with him, he wants to suck him, he wants to love him outside of the game and not have to worry that Frankie would hurt him again. In Germany people won’t recognize them, so they can use that as a trial run for what being a public couple would be like.  
  
Zach’s really excited. He counts down the days until he sees Frankie again.  
  
***  
  
When Frankie is holding a wine glass at the party, it strikes Zach as odd. He knew, even though no one else did, that Frankie deliberately chose not to drink in the house – maybe he thought he could relax once the cameras weren’t around, without it becoming a big thing. Zach loses track of Frankie over the course of the evening, though – considering he plans to spend all night with him, and the rest of his time in LA, and much more time with Frankie, Zach figures he should focus on his family.  
  
Finally, though, Frankie comes up to him while Zach is talking to Joan. She’s a lovely woman, by the way, and basically spends the entire conversation telling Zach she can’t wait to welcome him into her family. It’s nice to know the Grandes appear to like him, especially considering he hasn’t been able to get a clear read on how his own family feels about Frankie.  
  
But then Frankie hugs him, and kisses his neck, and Zach feels like home. His home has become Frankie, and he’s strangely okay with this. He can’t wait to get upstairs so he can tell (and show) Frankie all of the revelations he came to during his time in jury. Frankie looks elated when Zach confirms he plans to take him to Germany, and Zach can’t help but think how lucky he was to get stuck with this man.  
  
***  
  
But you know the story, from here on out. It doesn’t go well. Zach doesn’t know how to think about Ariana leading Frankie upstairs – he was supposed to do that. Frankie wasn’t supposed to get drunk. How could Zach share his feelings when Frankie was drunk? Moreover, how could it be a surprise to Frankie if the entire world knew what he was about to say, what Frankie stole from him with that (fantastic) kiss?  
  
The interviews the next day are horrendous. As America’s Favorite Player, he gets invited onto The Talk to collect his check, but all anyone wants to talk about is what happened in the ballroom the night prior. He can’t take it, and he convinces his mom to switch their flights to a redeye back to Florida. He can’t stay in LA anymore.  
  
He wants to talk to Frankie, but he need some space. But then Frankie stays in LA until it is time for Zach to leave for Germany, and Zach just couldn’t take Frankie to Europe anymore. He has a good time with his dad, but knows it wasn’t even 10% of the trip it could have been.  
  
Zach doesn’t hear from Frankie. (Frankie tried to reach out, of course, but he memorized Zach’s phone number wrong. The calls and texts never got through.) He knows he should be the bigger man and reach out, because all he wants is Frankie back in his life. But Frankie was the one who screwed this up, not him, and he doesn’t want to be mature. He’s only 24, dammit, he doesn’t need to be a saint.  
  
So when Zach gets back to Florida, he focuses on the second best thing he learned over the summer – he does like guys, after all. He’s had a lot of time to think about that, but meeting Frankie opened his eyes. Obviously being with Frankie would be the best option, but Zach can’t have that, not anymore. He shouldn’t have reacted so hastily when he last saw Frankie, but it’s too late to dwell on that now.  
  
When he meets Alex at a club, he kind of rolls with it. Alex is tall, blonde, lanky, well-defined muscles. (Yes, it appears that Zach has a type.) They fool around in the bathroom, and Zach lets Alex suck him off. It feels good, better than anything he ever did with a girl, but it something still feels off. He’s seen movies, he knows he’s supposed to feel sparks - something more than the base pleasure he feels when he gets himself off in the shower - but he doesn’t.  
  
He sees Alex a bit more, but they work better as friends. They do get kind of close, but they stopped hooking up after the first few times. He does play up Alex’s presence on his Instagram, though, just in case anyone is looking. He doesn’t care anymore that the world knows he’s into men– now that he’s figured it out, he doesn’t want to have to hide. His family is cool with it as long as he’s happy (he’s not, he can’t be, but they don’t need to know that), and if his friends have a problem with gay people, he doesn’t really need to be friends with them anymore.  
  
***  
  
Zach feels unfulfilled. He knows what is missing, and he has to go back on Big Brother for the chance to reunite with Frankie. He doesn’t care that it’ll be on national TV – that was last summer’s problem. Now he has to worry about how to not make Frankie hate him again. He hopes Frankie will actually agree to come back, but he thinks he will.  
  
He’s confused when Julie tells him on Day 1 that he’ll be entering the house alone, but he won’t be the first person in. It immediately clicks what that means - that Production changed the whole entry format just to get some #ZankieAloneTime. He’s cool with that, though. He needs some of that too.  
  
When Zach enters the house, he doesn’t notice how bright it is. All he can see is Frankie, how perfect he looks. He looks the same as last summer, as hot as ever. He’s even wearing the green and white tie-dyed shirt Zach loved, and Zach wants to break out into an open grin. But he can’t. He doesn’t know how Frankie feels about him, and he can’t screw this up.  
  
He needs Frankie back in his life. 


	3. Chapter 3

They stare at each other for a few seconds, but it feels like an eternity. Frankie is very aware of the countdown clock – they only have 29 minutes and 15 seconds until someone else walks in.

 

“The live feeds aren’t on,” Frankie says. Great thing to say to the guy you love, who hates you, when seeing him for the first time in nine months.

 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Zach growls.

 

Oh shit. Zach probably thinks Frankie started with that so he could kiss him again when it wasn’t wanted, as long as America wouldn’t see.

 

“I just thought maybe we could talk. Feel each other out before anyone else gets here so I can know if I’m dealing with an enemy or not,” Frankie says. He tries to stay calm. He can do this. He can survive this summer with Zach hating him.

 

No, he can’t. Of course he can’t. If Zach doesn’t want to talk to him, he’s going to self-evict.

 

Zach gets this look on his face. If Frankie didn’t know him so well, he would assume Zach is smiling. But no, this isn’t how Zach smiles. It’s a cruel farce of a smile, one that doesn’t reach his eyes, one that doesn’t let Frankie in. It’s beautiful, all the same, because it’s Zach.

 

“You think I want to be your enemy?” Zach asks. If Frankie didn’t know any better, he would say Zach was confused. But even though he thinks he knows Zach, maybe he doesn’t anymore.

 

“Yes?” Frankie asks, confused. Of course Zach is mad at him. He didn’t answer any of his texts. Frankie thinks maybe he shouldn’t have given up after about two weeks of trying, but he didn’t want to be pathetic. “You never called me back, got back to me. That’s because you hated what I did at the wrap party and you never want to speak to me again.”

 

Zach does the strangest thing. He breaks out into laughter. It’s a genuine laugh, the one Frankie remembers from last summer, the one Frankie could draw out of Zach by making the smallest joke, by touching him in a slightly inappropriate way, by letting his true personality show through when he couldn’t keep up his game façade for a few minutes.

 

“You tried to call me? You texted me?”

 

“Yeah, Zach, of course I did. You never answered, not once. I stopped after a while because it was too humiliating, when you were so obviously done with me.”

 

Zach’s still laughing. Frankie is so confused. Is this a trick to reel him in again, to make him think everything is okay, just so he can hurt Frankie even worse than Frankie hurt him?

 

Zach finally stops laughing to speak. “We’re such idiots, Frankie. Where’d you get my number?”

 

“You told it to me? Last summer. I memorized it. It’s 305-555-1514.”

 

Zach’s grin is so wide it’s infectious. Frankie feels himself smiling too, even though he’s still confused. He would really like Zach to clue him in.

 

“It’s 305-555-1415. You got the 4 and the 5 confused. I never got any texts from you, Frankie. Never got any calls. I was waiting to hear from you. I knew I should probably hit up Cody or someone for your number, but I was still a little mad at how you ruined my plans at the wrap party, and I was immature and wanted you to apologize first.”

 

“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Seriously, Zach, I left so many voicemails apologizing. I’ll do it again – I’m so sorry I got drunk at the wrap party and kissed you in front of everyone. It was stupid, and I wasn’t thinking, and it was probably the biggest mistake I ever made, but I was just so happy to see you and didn’t want to have to hold it in anymore. “

 

“Wait. What plans did I ruin?”

 

“Fraankieee,” Zach begins, saying Frankie’s name in the best way, the most loving way that no one’s ever said it before or since, “it was going to be amazing. You were going to come to my hotel room and we were going to have our talk away from the cameras but the talk was going to consist of me basically saying ‘I want this, I want you, let’s make out and then maybe more’ and then we were going to make out all night. And maybe more. But then I got upset and you were drunk and all the interviews the next day were torture with everyone asking about us, and I didn’t want to figure out my feelings in the public eye, so I had to book it out of LA as soon as possible. I cooled down like a week later but I thought you were mad I got upset and didn’t want to talk to me again.”

 

For a moment, Frankie thinks everything will be okay. Zach wanted him, wanted exactly what he wanted, and if he hadn’t screwed it up, they probably would have gotten together and been entering the house this year as boyfriends.

 

That reminds him, though. Zach isn’t single anymore. Frankie is going to take what he can get, though, and he’s a little surprised he’s even getting this much. He missed Zach so much, and his friendship is worth so much Frankie can’t even believe it. He wants to proceed tentatively, though, so he doesn’t screw this up again.

 

“So, Zach, do you think we can be friends this season? I’d love to make a final 2, again, and I’ll even uphold it this time!” Frankie says with a wry grin, hoping this is something they can joke about.

 

Zach gives him that weird look again, though. For a second, Frankie thinks he screwed up yet again by bringing up gameplay so early, when Zach has no reason to trust him after the stunt he pulled last year.

 

“Are you in a relationship?” Zach asks.

 

Well, that’s certainly not what Frankie was expecting Zach’s response to be.

 

“No, babe” – shit, there he goes again, no pet names – “but you are.”

 

Zach laughs again. Frankie pinches himself just to make sure this conversation is actually happening, this conversation that is actually making no sense to him at all.

 

“I knew you couldn’t stay away from my instragram!” Zach looks infuriatingly pleased with himself.  “Alex, I assume you’re talking about, is just a friend. I mean, we’ve hooked up a few times, but I was never really into it and it never went anywhere.”

 

Zach wasn’t into it because of the guy, or because it was  _a_  guy? They have 21 minutes left until the next contestant walks in; Frankie is determined to get to the bottom of this before then.

 

“Zach, I’m so glad you don’t hate me like I thought you did – you have no idea how glad – but I’m a little confused. Why weren’t you into it?”

 

Zach now looks exasperated. In such a hot way. Fuck, Frankie needs this conversation to go the way he needs it to.

 

“Frankie, are you listening to me? He wasn’t you. I want you, Frankie, not anyone else. I know we haven’t seen each other since September – hell, since August, really – but I don’t feel any different than I have since day 2 of last summer. I love you, Frankie. I’m in love with you. I want to win HOH, or let’s be honest, have you win HOH, so we can have privacy and do all the things we didn’t get to do this year.”

 

“But the cameras…”

 

Zach cuts him off. “I did some research in the last couple of weeks. Whenever Brenchel or Amanda and McCrae or whoever were hooking up in the HOH room, they’ll cut to fish or show the other houseguests. I don’t care if anyone sees me kissing you anymore, and, well, if it’s intimate, they just won’t show that. Now can you kiss me? I’ve been waiting for this for so long.”

 

Frankie doesn’t need to be asked twice. He runs to where Zach was standing, near the door, and sort of walks him to the wall so that Frankie can pin Zach against the door. He grabs Zach’s hands and holds them up over their heads, and brings their mouths together. Zach licks Frankie’s lips, asking for permission to be let in, and Frankie obviously lets him. After a minute, though, he pulls his mouth off Zach’s, and kisses his cheek down to his neck, just like he always did, but it’s so, so much better now when everything else is on the table. He also brings his knee between Zach’s legs, and Zach moans softly when Frankie hits the right spot.

 

“Frankie, we have to stop,” Zach says in a low voice. He sounds wrecked. Frankie did that to him. He let Frankie do that to him.

 

“Did I do something wrong, babe? Too fast?” Frankie whines at the lack of contact, but he doesn’t want to screw this up further.

 

“No, it’s not that. This is actually perfect. It’s just, someone else is going to be coming in that door very soon, and I don’t want them to walk in with us and our pants down and your mouth on my cock.”

 

Zach knows what he wants. Frankie loves Zankie 2.0 already, so much.

 

“We have 15 minutes left, Rance. You think you can last that long?” Frankie teases. Frankie’s mouth is so good, he’d be surprised if Zach can last 1.5 minutes.

 

“Probably not, no. But I don’t want us to have to rush this. I want our first time together to be perfect.”

 

Frankie can’t disagree with that. Reluctantly, he gives Zach back his hands, and takes a few steps away. He lets Zach lead him around the house, because he wants to see what the décor looks like, and pick what bed they’ll sleep in that night.

 

When Elissa walks in a few minutes later, the boys both hug her. If she notices the boner Zach’s still mostly sporting, she doesn’t say anything. Frankie knows he likes her already.

 

***

 

That night, they have the first HOH competition. It’s the typical first challenge – half endurance, half ‘how much can they throw at you before you fall off’. Two hours and 43 minutes in, there are only three competitors left. Frankie, of course, is one of them.

 

He’s so happy when Frank falls off. It’s down to him and Rachel. He’s pretty sure he can’t beat her, but maybe they can talk and make a deal or something. He opens his mouth to speak, but Rachel beats him to it.

 

“Frankie, if I step down, will you promise to keep me and Elissa safe?”

 

This day is just full of surprises. Rachel doesn’t look like she’s uncomfortable at all.  She might be a good person to have on his side, though, so he quickly agrees. He can find bigger targets to take down.

 

She jumps, Frankie hears himself being declared the winner of the first head of household competition of BB17, and steps down himself. Zach runs up to hug him, and Frankie takes the opportunity to whisper into his ear.

 

“Can you guess why she just did that? It makes no sense to me.”

 

Zach giggles. Frankie loves his laugh. “Babe, she ships us, super hard. With Brendon not on this season, maybe she wants someone to be using the HOH suite the way it is supposed to be used.”  

 

\---

 

Hope you all enjoyed! Come find me on [tumblr](mangoapplepie.tumblr.com).


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